Cyano battle ends - onto a new guest - Dino's...

[CAfirstReef]

Hi All,

 

I've had a bad run with the tank, but I've whipped myself back into shape and have been very good about water changes recently etc. I'm motivated now and am working hard to get it up and running properly. My goal is to have some acan's and monti's and maybe a few rics later on but I'm not looking to get all fancy, just some nice consistent colourful corals. Those that have survived my tank apocalypse are obviously welcome residents! Some of the rocks may go but that's for a later discussion. Algae has to go first 

 

I've been doing weekly or less (5-7 days) water changes  for over 2 months now, and have been dosing NoPox for 2 weeks at 1.5mL, tank is a 30L and the last tests were 1ppm Nitrates (down from 6ppm), 0.03ppm Phosphates, and 6.3KH

 

Photos aren't the best, I seem to have forgotten how to take them but I think they are ok to id? Let me know if I need better. There is also a thin film on the top of the water which has receded as of late but is still present.  I only feed my 2 clowns once a day and I've always been careful not to "overfeed" but now even more so. More details are in my long-winded tank journal. 

 

I hope this algae doesn't pose a health hazard.

 

Thanks for any help!

Cheers,

Chris

 

DSC_0899

DSC_0900

 

 

[This guy is extra salty]

Your KH is fairly low 

7 is neutral you want to be around 8or 9dkh

 

but that red algae isn’t algae it’s a bacteria...Cyanobacteria 

Does it recede at night? And or disappear? Then comes back with a vengeance daily?

 

lastly you could be feeding it with the nopox(carbon dosing) do you have a very good protein skimmer attached to this system?

[Clown79]

Hello?

 

Alk is low at 6.3

 

There really is no perfect alk number as long as it's within the normal range , consistency is very important.

 

Normal alk is 7-10. 

 

Nopox must be used with a good skimmer, are you using a skimmer by any chance?

 

It's hard to say 100% but it looks like possibly cyano and is there green algae as well?

 

 

[CAfirstReef]

Thanks for the replies,

 

There is some green algae still near the back side of the aquarium, though a lot has cleared up in the last 3 weeks. in the first photo there is a bit of the green algae visible by to the left of the affected area.

 

I have a skimmer and it's been working nicely with good foaming (the IM ghost skimmer fitted to this aquarium), been cleaning it every-other day as it gets all murky by the second night.

 

The red stuff I did suspect to be cyano from all my research... but I'm still new to reefing and wanted to confirm. The cyano doesn't seem to completely go away, it recedes, but not a complete disappearance, especially the one batch near the top on the chalice coral that is very affected, I'll pay closer attention to it tomorrow morning. My lights don't go out until around midnight and I'm usually asleep by then and mornings with a toddler are hectic to get out the door Will take a closer look and post.  I do think it's grown since I've started the NoPox while the other algae has receded... The bubbling look is definitely since starting NoPox

 

Does a higher KH help slow the cyano? The plan is to raise it anyway.

 

I did purchase the chemiclean but I'm hesitant to use it, wanted to try to improve my water, get that skimmer working well and just try the manual approach first with water changes etc. Was thinking next time I change the water, I'll try to dislodge it with a turkey baster and suck it up right away.

 

Are there any health risks to having it in the aquarium? Not that I want it to stay, I do wear medical grade gloves now when I'm doing anything for the time being.

[Clown79]

It's hard to tell in the pic 100% it's cyano.

If it's slimy or bubbly or like pictures you see of cyano- it most likely is.

 

What is the filter set up and media used? 

Are you using floss and changing it frequently? 

 

How long is the light on?

 

What you can do, in between water changes, suck up the cyano with a turkey baster.

Increase flow to the area

Change floss more often

 

This will help.

 

[CAfirstReef]

So the algae is in fact cyano from what i gather, I stopped NoPox 3 days ago now and It's receded and did it's disappearing act overnight.

I'm going to have to put a good plan for getting rid of it. I think I'm leaning towards boyd's Chemiclean as i already have it.

My ghost skimmer has calmed down since i've stopped NoPox too so I think it will be able to handle this. will get an airpump and air stone today as I plan this out.

 

Any ideas as to how long after stopping NoPox I have to wait?

I will be doing a water change anyway tonight.

[Clown79]

Sorry, I am not sure. I have never used either product.

Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[This guy is extra salty]

I have used chemiclean a couple of times to clear out the Cyanobacteria in my sump, in fear it’s going to spread to my display. I remove my skimmer cup for heavy Aeration, but if you have an air stone that will be perfect. If you’re using the air stone in conjunction with the skimmer I would turn down the skimmer as a just in case of it overflowing. Wait for your water change after the 48hr initial dose and do a 25% waterchange, then remove anything that lingers resembling Cyanobacteria... 

Then you can resume using nopox, but you would have to start at a small dose again and increase it later as needed

 

 

good luck 

and post pictures 

[CAfirstReef]

So during my water change tonight, I was stubborn and tried one more time to siphon up the cyano, it's been a few days since I've stopped NoPox, my skimmer has calmed down, and well i noticed that it looked not as "plump" as the earlier in the week. Miraculously, it started flying up into the tube in huge flakes! (For these water changes I'm using just a tube and bulb to prime the water flow, not a true sand siphon) When the first flake came up, I got excited of course and started going at all of it. I do a 4.5g water change for these regular maintenance changes (and because my bucket size it 5g) and in the first 3g I had almost all of it up that i could see! And the rock below it looked clean! My poor chalice there though is half gone but the 3 heads are still visible and look ok. I took a paper-towel to the water surface and gathered a ton of the stuff up off the surface, it seems to only gather over the display portion of the tank. And a lot of my tenants looked extremely pleased to "see the lights".

 

I was feeling beaten by the cyano this morning and thinking I'm going to have to turn to chemiclean hence my post to get some chemiclean advice, but with the way I cleared out most of it, I'm thinking I'll give it one more week and see how fast it re-grows. I know I missed a spot the size of a silver dollar, but I'll do an extra water change Monday to grab it up. (have to change my QT tank tomorrow and I have limited water prepping space/resources unless I plan far in advance - RODI does about 2.5g in 2 hours only)

My tank has been through so much, I'd like to spend the next 2-3 weeks fixing up my filtration before I hit it with something like chemiclean.

 

I was thinking back, where did I get the cyano from, and it's crazy how I can pin point the impulse buy at a LFS that seeded the tank. Honestly, I'm surprised that it hasn't grown faster and I'm lucky it didn't during my maintenance funk.

 

Here are the photos after the cleaning, sorry they were taken with my phone and my blue light filter is somewhere at the bottom of a drawer

IMG_20180113_2155482

IMG_20180113_2155516

 

This last image shows the one spot on the branching torch that is still affected, it was also patient 0

IMG_20180113_2155209

 

(I changed the name of the thread to reflect better the tales of turmoil we're working through)

 

[CAfirstReef]

Another day, another cyano sighting. It seems to be off the 3 main rocks, in the most part, I noticed a bit i missed on the middle rock. The boulder up front though has a light dusting of it though. (luckily that boulder just has to go, there really is no room for it in my tank - bottom left of the last pick above) I'm going to stick to my plan of another water change tomorrow but it looks like chemiclean is going to be needed sometime in the near future. We are going away in  the spring for 2 weeks and I want to leave the tank clean and prepped for my inexperienced caretaker that is doing us a huge favour. But I have ample time to get it ready.

 

Other than low oxygen and all the other risks and instructions in the pack, any advice on chemiclean?

As I mentioned, air stone will be put in, skimmer will be running - but no cup? You mention turning it down "This guy is extra salty", am I expecting a lot of waste to boil up? 

 

Any advantage to adding it late at night - aquarium time? I was thinking of adding it on a Friday, so that I can watch the tank Saturday and Sunday and sunday night would be the 48h time change you mentioned.

 

Thanks for all the help all!!!

 

[Fury Reef]

I'm just getting back to reefing after 17 years out of the hobby, but I rescued a tank and have been battling cyano as well. Here's some things I've done over the weeks to help reduce it. 

 

I've slowly introduced nassarius snails to my 28 gallon. I'm up about 7 of them right now. I also picked up a conch snail for the substrate. These are by far my favorite Cuc. They're amazing. 

 

I've also added one bumble bee snail, 1 cerith, 1 trochus and 3 astrea to go along with the 3 turbos that came with the tank. I'm finding that I need less cleaning on my glass. The tank stays prettier longer. 

 

Good luck!

[CAfirstReef]

Thanks

Unfortunately I didn't get to the small water change yesterday as things are hectic sometimes. The cyano did spread again, and I'm sure it's not because I didn't catch a little patch. It's basically ready to be hit by Chemiclean. Plan is still to do it on Friday.

 

As for my CUC, I actually got a conch on sale after Christmas for a great price, (about $7) and he's doing great! We love bumblebee snails and have 7 of them, they're so small it seems to be ok, and have 3 astras and 4 astra ninja's as we like to call them. nassarius we had 4 but i think there are 3 right now. they have been here for over a year and i only see one empty shell, will be picking up more of these some time. I had a 1 Mexican turbo snail, that seemed to be fine since day 1, and I just noticed about a week ago that he kicked the bucket. Shell was cleaned out and shiny. About 1 month into my water changing frenzy and revitalization of my tank, I got 2 turbo grazers but they didn't make it 1 week (back in dec) I think there were too many things wrong back then for them I guess. Will get more once the cynao issue is over.

[CAfirstReef]

Hi All,

Today I popped in an air-stone and pulled out the old chemipure blue bags. I won't describe them as they were in rough shape!!! Afterwards I took the recommended cup of tank water per scoop to mix the chemiclean to dissolve it. Following shortly I added the Chemiclean solution as per instructions to the tank. I think i had a first timer moment again, after I finished pouring it in, I quickly looked around the tank and well.... nothing. Skimmer was emptied also. but is still running. Will go down in 30-45 min to check on it, then it will be overnight to see what happens.

Can't wait to have this sorted out and cleaned up.

I noticed that after I pulled the bloom off the surface of the water, things plumped up in the tank and just looked like they were relieved to see the lights! I hope this allows them that pleasure from now on!

Here's hoping for a good night!

[xashs]

Chemiclean saved my tank AND my sanity in the past.  As I read through the previous entries, the thought that kept going through my mind was, just USE it!

Since that time, the one change that seemed to make a difference was to increase the water circulation. Also, watch for the same reddish purple cyano color below the sand line on the glass. Just scrape it off.

One other thing, there is a red algae that is not slimy so don't panick every time you see that color.

You've made it through this so anything in the future will be a piece of cake.  Good luck

[CAfirstReef]

Threw the chemiclean in Friday and I have to say, Why didn't I just do it months ago!!!!!!!  I wouldn't have let the algae build up or all the other neglect happen!!!! It's clearing up amazingly.

Here's to a new life for my tank!

[brianinak]

Please keep posting, I have been battling a small cyano problem for months.  I will be curious if returns.

[CAfirstReef]

Hi All,

 

Been a week since the start of the treatment. I did my water change at the 48h mark. Next one planned for Sunday again. Any thoughts on if or when I should throw in a bag of chemipure blue?

Also I've replaced any basic equipment that may have been dipped into the aquarium when it contained the cyano. Of the items that may remain, any advice on how to clean them? namely my algae scraper, don't want to have to replace that

 

As per the state of the aquarium, It's looking very clean, can now see all the other algae, and realize my CUC needs re-stocking but nothing too crazy imo. I have a conch and some Nassarius snails (probably need more) that are doing a great job on the substrate.

 

Better times moving forward

[This guy is extra salty]

Distilled vinegar to “wash” (1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water) it also will remove any coraline algae

 

you didnt have to replace equipment just clean them but hey! At least you have back ups now lol 

 

for a CUC look into a sand sifting sea star 

they do wonders it keeps my Fiji pink sand nice and white 

[NovaZoa]

On 1/21/2018 at 9:59 AM, CAfirstReef said:

Threw the chemiclean in Friday and I have to say, Why didn't I just do it months ago!!!!!!!  I wouldn't have let the algae build up or all the other neglect happen!!!! It's clearing up amazingly.

Here's to a new life for my tank!

This is how I felt after I used red slime remover... I spent months trying to control it and countless hours cleaning... I used red slime remover and it was gone in 48hrs... added some fritz turbo and chemi pure blue and havent seen it since! 

[james4g63]

I once used Red slime remover and hated what it did to some of the live stock in the tank. My anemone hated me for a while.

[CAfirstReef]

Quick update. The cyano is all good and gone. Haven't seen any sign of it.

 

New problem though. I've noticed the snooty what i thought was GHA - turns out i think it's actually dino's...

 

I've been on my maintenance and as it's well published, dino's love water changes...

 

Can someone post up the proper hydrogen peroxide dosage?

 

here is an image of what it looks like. The colouring is a bit off due to filters and my up and coming photography skills...

 

DSC_0964

[Tamberav]

Are you sure it is dino? Is it attached? Dino will be snotty and can be blown off. 

 

Chrysophytes is another type of algae (silica based) that sometimes is mistaken for dino so trying to rule that out.

 

 

 

A few things to note, red slime remover is great stuff but it can come back or another organism will take its place, probably what you are seeing now. Also CARBON dosing like nopox feeds bacteria, cyano is a bacteria, so it was feeding all that cyano  It can feed the bad bacteria as much as the good.

 

If it isn't dino: 

 

I do not see a lot of livestock in there. Have you considered a deep clean? Siphon sand bed, take the rocks out, scrub and do a tankwater/peroxide dip for 10 min, do a 100% water change and scrape all that algae off the back of the tank and clean the back chambers, then replace the rocks. Follow up by running some PO4 remover and rox carbon/chemipure for the inevitable die off of all that algae and follow up with another 50% water change once its good and dead. I also restock with a new CUC two or three after the peroxide dip. Some people hate hermits but they love dying algae.

 

Coral and fish could go in a QT tank but Ive done a deep clean and put everything back before but you need to monitor ammonia, ect just in case a cycle happens.

 

Another method is peroxide dosing, if it is really dino, I would probably try this + lights out/full blackout. I know dino LIKES water changes but you will inevitably need to do them once the dino dies/starts to die off because another organism will just take its place again using the nutrients from the dying algae. 

 

 

[brandon429]

100 % agreed

 

both the enduring cyano and the new dinos invasion can be fixed by handling the entire tank as the issue, not just the invader.

 

the use of chemiclean left dinos and fuel in the sandbed. After these two, gha comes.

 

time to learn rip cleaning and be free of invasion the rest of your reefing like the pico reefers do

 

in the pico forum, no enduring cyano or diatoms. Up top where rip cleaning is feared due to assumed tank upset if deep cleaned,  lots. Sandbed is key rascal here, if we reached in and grabbed sand and dropped it, the proof cloud comes 

 

to make any nano free of a non invaded anchor, we simply clean from the bottom glass up where nothing can produce a cloud after the cleaning is done

 

get off using meds and pills

 

don’t use fluconazole for the upcoming gha, learn rip cleaning, you’ll be invader free when the next pill comes to town too after fluc 

 

 

Getting off the external locus of control habit is the most important trait a nano reefer can have in my opinion. Each succession of invasion excluding the rip clean just leaves fuel and resources for the next. Even if you try and battle the dinos with N and P adjustments while leaving the bed cloud in place this preps the tank for a GHA challenge as soon as that real estate is opened back up 

 

 

 

[CAfirstReef]

Looks like I have my hands full for next weekend

 

Small stupid question. I just got a new RO/DI after going on about a year without DI (for some reason I thought my system had it and well no excuses here. my mistake) I've done all the usual flush of the RO portion, does the DI resin need to be flushed before use? it's a refillable canister with bulk colour changing DI resin.

 

Thanks guys!

[This guy is extra salty]

I flush mine regularly, I have a seven stage rodi system. What is a couple of bucks for di resin, against the cost of the thousands that you stock you tank with